The deep blue color of the ocean hasn’t changed since our first cruise, nor has the smell of fresh salt air. The satisfaction of seeing the unique color of the deep ocean and breathing in the crisp, clean air is just as intense as thirty years ago. Sitting on the balcony at sea was high on our list back then and it still is. We don’t get to do it often, so when we get the opportunity to enjoy these things, we don’t waste a single moment.
A day at sea is also a great opportunity to catch up on reading about our strange, convoluted world, such as the just announced sales analysis for new cars and small trucks in 2025. The biggest surprise isn’t the total number of cars and pickup trucks or even who sold them. The biggest surprise is there were more cars sold for over $75,000 than those that cost less than $30,000! My surprise is partly based on the archaic fact I paid $19,200 for my first house, a brand new townhouse in Miami. As of January 5, 2026, the cheapest new car sold in the United States is the 2026 Kia K4, which has a base starting price of $23,385. Inflation has clobbered us so badly, that according to Cox Automotive, “The number of new vehicle models priced under $25,000 has dropped from thirty-six in 2017 to just five in 2026.” The vehicles are basically the same, electronics and AI notwithstanding, the prices are simply up, way, way up. A quick glance at the room menu reminds me parts of cruising have also changed drastically. A glass of Cabernet or Chardonnay is now $18. A beer is now $9. This new world is very expensive by my upbringing, but we have resigned ourselves to enjoying what we like by simply being selective.
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| The Main Dining Room - The Rotterdam |
We eventually get dressed after sunset and head toward the dining room. Coughing and sneezing are already on the increase, so we ask to be seated by ourselves and notice many of the other diners are doing the same thing. One group that has consistently been seated together has a middle-aged male member who has worn bib overalls and a denim ball cap every single day of the cruise so far. He wears the same attire in the dining room. The maître d' politely reminded a passenger standing in line in front of us on our second day that shorts were inappropriate. The passenger profusely apologized and immediately left to change. Apparently, bib overalls are not as offensive as shorts. Another white, male passenger in his late 60s or early 70s has worn a ball cap in the dining room with his political American idol boldly emblazoned on it. It isn’t red, but wearing a hat, especially a ball or golf cap, in the dining room is in poor taste. Holland America Lines may be somewhat off base with their new marketing targets.
The housekeeping staff on the Rotterdam changes the floor mats in every elevator to match the day of the week. A subtle yet effective way to keep us all from losing all track of sensibilities and schedules. Surprise! It’s Friday already! five days into the cruise and we still has seven to go. We’ll arrive at Cartagena early tomorrow under cloudy skies. It looks like our bright sunshine will elude us for the next several days, but we haven’t scheduled any port activities so we aren’t worried about weather.
Once again, we end up in the Rolling Stones Lounge listening to the really great band that has caught our ear. Thomaso, from Rome, Flor from Buenos Aires, Steven from St. Louis, Shannon from San Diego, and a young man whose name I never mastered from Tokyo, made up a band that meshed as if they had been playing together for years. They play our style of popular rock music, even briefly touching on R&B. We thought the BB King blues club would be our “hangout,” but they play solid Motown with some soul music tossed in, and they do it very loudly. Just not our style. We tried the main theater in the round and were not impressed with the shows.
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| The Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of mariners, stands a foggy vigil at Cartagena |
Slowly, quietly entering the harbor at Cartagena is just as intriguing as the first time we visited here. We are sailing slowly due north, this time shrouded by early morning fog and heavy overcast. The high rises soon appear and within minutes we are secured at the pier.
I’m fascinated by the order and control Cartagena Port Authority uses to fill the pier with huge tour buses so efficiently. The pier was empty when the first mooring lines were thrown ashore, and filled with buses by the time people started walking toward the welcome garden. We aren’t alone here, either, as the new gleaming Virgin Cruises ship, Brilliant Lady, docks alongside us. Not long after her arrival, a former Holland America ship, the old MS Statendam, now sailing as the Vasco da Gama for the German company, Nicko Cruises, docks on the other side of Brilliant lady. There will be almost 7000 passengers descending on Cartagena, no problem as long as we don’t all stay in the really nice little welcome garden at the end of the dock area.
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| The State of the Art in cruising: 1993 vs 2025 - The former MS Statendam, now the Vasco Da Gama, launched in 1993, and the Brilliant Lady, launched in 2025. |
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| Within minutes of mooring, the tour buses have loaded their passengers and have departed the dock |
We decided not to go into town for several reasons, one of them is the early 1:30pm All Aboard. We enjoyed the welcome garden at the port entrance the first time we visited Cartagena, so we decided to once again see the colorful birds and perhaps once again feed the monkeys. Unfortunately, it looked like all 7000 visitors were there at once, so after a short, crowded stroll through the pretty center, we headed back to the ship. My blog and photos about our first visit to Cartagena is at: https://piddlepaddler.blogspot.com/2024/11/the-panama-canal-cruise-part-2-cartegena.html
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| The Guinea hens are still here. |
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